Heart on the Line For You
by nearraaa
Summary: Logan's a nerd. James is a hockey star. And yet there's an undeniable attraction between the two. From the first date to however far I feel like going. Jagan. Read it. Review it. Enjoy it. That's an order.
1. Chapter 1

**Just love this pairing so much. So far it's the only thing I've done. Like, four times. But you don't want my life story, you want James and Logan's story. So here we go.**

The final bell rang and Logan hurried out of Honors Biology and to his locker, stuffing his books inside and grabbing a couple of binders. He clicked the lock back into place and turned around.

And was promptly shoved into the very locker he'd just closed.

He rolled his eyes as the entire hockey team strolled by, skates slung over their shoulders and bags in their hands. It was like he had a giant, flashing neon sign hanging from his neck that every jock could see. _Nerd Here! Easy Prey!_

Logan shrank against his locker, trying not to be noticed. He held his backpack in front of him to block any blows that might come his way.

At the end of the crowd were Kendall Knight and James Diamond. Logan's eyes widened and his knees went weak, half from fear and half from attraction.

James and Kendall were his biggest tormentors. And it just so happened that James was also the one guy Logan really wanted to be with. Logan wanted him so much, but every time they met, it seemed like James completely hated him.

Kendall glanced towards Logan and then looked away. His head snapped back towards Logan and he grinned, tapping James on the shoulder and pointing. James followed his finger and found Logan, then smiled.

"Oh no," Logan whispered.

"Hey, guys!" Kendall called. "It's Mitchell." Logan knew he had about four seconds before they'd be after him. And there was only one place he knew they would never look.

Tossing his backpack over his shoulder, he took off.

Kendall and James tossed their bags and skates to the other players and raced after him. Logan turned a corner, his backpack slamming into the wall. James and Kendall's longer legs were going to give him a hard time getting away from. But it wasn't something he hadn't done before.

Logan took a shortcut through the gym and raced down the steps behind it. He took off across the street and down Henry Boulevard. Just down the street was the ice rink the team went to. He dashed inside, looking over his shoulder before dashing inside.

James and Kendall were just reaching the bottom of the steps when Logan entered the ice rink. He hurried to the top of the seats and crouched behind them.

Kendall and James burst through, their heads swinging from side to side in search of Logan.

James bit his lip, trying to find Logan. Kendall didn't know it, and there was no way he was ever going to tell him, but he had a soft spot for Logan. The only reason he picked on him was because he liked him. It was simple first grade logic. That had carried on into the eleventh grade.

James was very careful never to physically hurt Logan- that was only Kendall. And he liked to believe that Logan noticed that, that he liked him.

James spotted a flash of brunette hair and smiled to himself. When Kendall looked at him, he quickly covered it up.

"You check over there," James said, pointing to across the rink. Kendall nodded and ran James spotted a flash of brunette hair and smiled to himself. When Kendall looked at him, he quickly covered it up.

"You check over there," James said, pointing to across the rink. Kendall nodded and ran where James had pointed. When Kendall was far enough away, James walked up the steps and into the aisle.

Logan was crouching behind the seats. When he saw James, he jerked backwards, falling onto his back.

"Dammit!" he hissed. James got to his knees holding his hands out to Logan.

"I won't hurt you, I just want to talk." Logan swung his backpack in front of him, eyeing James cautiously.

"Look, Logan. I like you. I really, really like you. I wanted to know if you'd like to go out with me."

Logan's jaw hit the floor.

"I-I-I-" he stuttered.

"Excellent!" Logan cringed at the voice and James swore. Kendall bounded up the stairs and appeared behind James. "You found him!"

Logan shot to his feet, looking around. There was no way out. Behind him was a wall and all three boys knew Logan lacked the athletic ability to hop down the over the chairs

James looked between Logan and Kendall. "You know what, Kendall, it's not worth it," he said. Logan stared at him, smiling slightly. Kendall just stared, his eyebrows knitting together.

"Are you feeling alright, James?" Kendall asked.

"I'm fine, dude. But maybe we should just leave him alone today."

Kendall made a face and laughed. "You're probably right. Nerds are fragile." Logan scowled at him.

"Yeah, he'd break like a twig," James said, forcing a laugh. Logan's head snapped his way. His eyes watered and his face had hurt written all over it. Then, his mouth set into a straight line and his eyes turned cold.

He snatched his backpack up and flung it over his shoulder. He shoved past the other two boys, taking a few steps down before turning and looking at James.

"The answer, by the way, is no, James. Not now, not ever. Maybe next time you look in the mirror, you'll think of what a jackass you are instead of thinking how great your hair looks."

James looked like he'd been slapped as Logan walked away.


	2. Chapter 2

Logan walked up to his locker the next day and set his backpack down.

"Stupid James," he muttered, twisting his lock. He dragged his sleeve across his eyes, wiping away a trail of tears before pulling his locker open.

A flood of roses poured out and scattered across the floor. Logan jumped back in surprise, slipping on some of the petals. He bent down and saw a card that was nearly invisible because of its scarlet color. He picked it up and opened it.

_I'm sorry. I'd really like to make it up to you. Let me take you to dinner, or maybe a movie. The zoo would be fine, too. Pretty, pretty please?_

_James_

Logan crumpled the letter in his fist and kicked the roses at his feet.

"Stupid James," he said again.

"I was really hoping that'd at least get your attention." Logan jumped at the voice and spun around. James was right behind him, smiling slightly.

"What do you want, James?" Logan asked.

"I would really like to take you on a date, Logan. Please? Pretty please? Pretty, pretty please?"

"I don't date third graders," Logan snapped, slamming his locker and storming away.

"And why would James care?" Kendall asked, appearing out of nowhere just in time to block Logan.

"Get out of my way," Logan said.

"I think I asked you a question, Mitchell. Isn't that right, James?"

"Leave him alone," James said. He flashed Logan a smile, but Logan was pointedly looking the other way.

"What's going on with you, James?' Kendall asked. "You better not be going gay on me." Kendall laughed, not noticing that James wasn't. "Let's get to class. I want to talk to that Jo girl. Wanna tap that." He guffawed as he dragged James behind him.

"You're disgusting," Logan said. He wasn't very loud, but the whole hall had gone silent and Kendall could hear him just fine.

Kendall froze, his grip on James's arm turning the usually bronze skin pale white. He turned, a sneer on his face.

"What'd you say, Mitchell?" Logan took a deep breath and then took a step forward.

"You're disgusting," he repeated. "You're disgusting and you're vile and you're a terrible person. I can't even look at you and not want to vomit. And honestly, I'd much rather be way down here at the bottom of the food chain as a nerd, than ever be like you. You make me sick."

Logan didn't see who started, it, but suddenly behind him, there came the sounds of applause. He blushed and ducked his head. Kendall looked past him and was surprised to see some of his own "friends" were cheering Logan. His gaze shifted back to Logan.

"Whatever, Bitch-ell."

"Ooh, creative," Logan said. "Maybe next time you can shove me in a locker like every other textbook bully."

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Are you lacking the necessary I.Q. points to see the obvious?"

"Shut up!"

"Good one. That always works."

"I said shut up!"

"Keep 'em coming, _Knight_. I love watching people make asses of themselves."

"You're dead, Mitchell!"

"Funny, you'd think I'd have stopped talking." Logan knew what Kendall was going to do an instant before he did. He ducked under the fist and Kendall's hand slammed into a locker.

"Fuck!" he yelled, shaking his hand.

"Mr. Knight!" Logan turned and saw Principal Turner coming down the hall. "I won't tolerate that sort of language."

"But, Mr. Turner!"

"My office. Now." Kendall glared at Logan before following Mr. Turner, clutching his hand to his chest.

"That was great, Logan!" Logan felt someone slap him on the back and cringed. He turned and saw Carlos Garcia behind him.

"Hi, Carlos," he said. Carlos was on the hockey team with James and Kendall, but he was a lot nicer. He was also extremely childish, and Logan didn't think he'd ever seen Carlos without a helmet on, except maybe during the Pledge of Allegiance.

"Hey, Carlos," James said, moving up behind Logan and slinging an arm around him. Logan quickly shrugged it off.

"Hi, James," Carlos said, smiling. "Great game last night."

"Thanks, Carlos. You too. You were great."

"Oh, not really. I was only in for five minutes."

"And that's all it took for you to get two shots in. That was great." Carlos blushed and grinned, twiddling his thumbs. Logan stared at James, thinking. James met Logan's gaze, looking a little confused.

"Later, I got to get to class before the bell rings," Carlos said, taking off.

"What?" James asked.

"What?" said Logan.

"You're staring at me like I just grew an extra head. What's up?"

"That was just… really nice of you to say to Carlos. I didn't know you were like that."

"Well, I'm not really a jerk, that's just when…" James trailed off, looking down. Logan felt his spirits sink.

"When you and Kendall are talking to me. Right."

"Logan!" James said, grabbing his arm before Logan could get away.

"James, the bell is in two minutes, and Honors Chemistry is across the universe. Let go."

"I know you don't want to go on a date with me, but do you at least want to hang out later? It's Friday, come on."

"I don't think your definition of hanging out is quite the same as mine, James. I don't go to parties. I haven't even been invited to one since I was twelve."

"Well, we could do what you wanted to do. What do you usually do after school?"

Logan simply stared at James and said, "Homework."

Seven and a half hours later, James followed Logan off the bus and up to his house. Logan dug out his keys and walked inside.

"You sure your mom is okay with this?" James asked.

"Yeah, what about yours?"

"Oh, well… she won't even notice," James said, looking past Logan.

"Wait, did you call her?" Logan asked.

"No. Trust me, Logan, it doesn't matter. She doesn't care."

"Call her," Logan said.

"Logan, it's-"

"James, call her." James sighed and pulled out his phone and punching in his mother's number. It rang six times before Brooke Diamond picked up.

"Who is it and what do you want?" she said, sounding bored.

"It's James," James said, looking away from Logan. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Logan stare at him, amazed.

"James!" Brooke said, "Who are you and what do you want?"

"It's James," James repeated, "as in your son. I was calling to tell you that I'm at a friend's house."

"That's great, honey, I have to go." James pulled his phone away, the call ended. He sighed and turned back towards Logan.

Logan was biting his lip, looking away from James. "I'm sorry," he said. "I… I didn't know."

"It's alright," James said, cupping Logan's cheek. "You couldn't have known." Logan looked down at James's hands, heat rising to his face when he realized just how much he liked the feel of James's hand.

Slowly, James leaned forward and kissed Logan. Logan leaned into it, sliding his arms around James. James pulled back and pressed their foreheads together.

"Will you please go out with me, Logan Mitchell." Logan looked into James's eyes and smiled.

"I'd love to, James Diamond."


	3. Chapter 3

Logan woke up and rolled out of bed with a smile on his face. He thought of how he was going to the movies with James and gave a little hop of excitement.

His phone buzzed. He snatched it up and looked at the screen. James.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey, are we still on for tonight?"

"Of course. What time should I be ready?"

"Uh, nine-ish I guess. Can't wait."

"Neither can I. See you tonight." Logan hung up and looked at the picture James had taken of himself using Logan's phone. He was flashing that blinding smile and Logan's heart fluttered.

Logan slid his phone into his jeans and walked into the kitchen, making a bowl of cereal. As he sat down to eat, his mom walked in, her hair going in all directions. She yawned as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Morning, honey," she said.

"G'morning," Logan said, grinning. His mom arched an eyebrow when she looked at him.

"Did you win an award?" she asked.

"What? No."

"Did you get something published?"

"Uh, no."

"Well what are you grinning about?"

"I have a date tonight." Logan nearly toppled off his chair when his mother squealed in delight.

"A date! With who?"

"His name is James," Logan said. He'd told his mother he was gay two years ago.

Logan was pulled into a tight hug.

"Oh, how wonderful! Do you need anything? A new outfit, hair gel, anything?"

"I'm fine, Mom. We're just going to the movies."

"Oh, this is so great, Logan! Your dad would be so happy." Logan's happy mood quickly vanished at the mention of his father. He stirred his Cheerios around the bowl, trying to discretely wipe away a tear that was threatening to spill.

It didn't go unnoticed by his mother.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweety. It's just that this was always something he talked about- your first date- before the accident." Logan swallowed hard, thinking about "the accident."

His dad had been driving home from his job at the hospital when a drunk driver ran a red light and hit his car. He was instantly killed, and Logan hadn't ever been able to get rid of the image of his father's body, bloodied and torn, on a hospital bed.

Logan was ten.

"It's fine, Mom," Logan lied, "I'm just gonna go pick out what I'm wearing tonight." His mother nodded, taking his bowl to the sink as Logan walked down the hallway, running the last few steps.

Logan flung himself into bed, trying his best to block the memories. But it was no use. He shut his eyes, but that just made it easier for him to see everything.

_Logan sat on the couch, flipping through channels on T.V. His dad was going to be home any minute and then they were all going to go see a movie. He checked the clock. Just a few minutes now._

_The phone rang._

_Logan watched as his mother walked over and picked up the phone, smiling at Logan as she answered. "Hello?"_

_Logan watched his mom's expression shift into one of horror._

"_Mom?" he said, "What's going on?"_

"_I'll be right there," she said, slowly putting the phone down. She just stood there for a second, then grabbed her keys and threw a jacket on._

"_Get your shoes, Logan," she said. Logan scrambled to put his shoes on and hurried after her out the door._

_Logan barely buckled his seatbelt before they'd peeled out of the driveway and down the street. His mother was speeding, paying no attention to her speedometer. She checked the rearview mirror and saw Logan's pale face and slowed down._

"_Sorry," she whispered. Logan watched as she pulled into the hospital parking lot and strode toward the door. Logan ran to keep up._

_Mrs. Mitchell walked up to the desk_

"_Mrs. Mitchell," she said, "my husband was in a car crash." The nurse nodded and started typing something into her computer. Logan gasped._

"_A car crash?" he said. His mother nodded, not looking at him._

_Logan glanced around, trying to focus on something, anything. Then, through a door, he saw it._

_His father, laying on a hospital bed, limp and unmoving._

"_DAD!" he screamed, barreling towards him. His mom tried to grab at him but he dodged her grasp._

_Logan burst into the room as the team of doctors and nurses were preparing the defibrillator._

"_Clear," one of them said, rubbing the paddles together before pressing them into Mr. Mitchell. His body jumped sickly and Logan's hand flew to his mouth._

_The doctors did it again, and once more. Logan glanced at the monitor._

_There was no heartbeat. The straight green line was like a knife to his heart. Logan fell to his knees._

"_Daddy," he whispered._

"_Who let this kid in?" one of the doctors said. They started trying to shove Logan out but Logan ran around them, running to his dad._

"_Dad!" he cried, shaking him like he did on Sunday mornings. "Dad, wake up! Please wake up, Daddy! I need you. Dad, I need you!"_

_But it was useless. Logan was pulled away as a sheet was pulled over his father's prone body._

Logan, finally free of the flashback, sniffed. He reached to his bedside table and grabbed a few tissues, blowing his nose hard. He got up and walked over to his desk, pulling open a drawer and then picking up a journal.

This was his secret. This journal was full of writing pieces, some poems, some short stories, even a couple of songs. Logan hadn't shown to a single person, not even his mother. They were his feelings, put down on paper, every up and down that had to be expressed, every turn that needed to be recorded, they were all there. When it was too much for Logan to keep inside, he wrote it out.

Logan picked up a pen and set it to the paper, the words seeming to flood out of the paper.

_When silence becomes too hard to hear,  
>When the lack of one voice makes you shed a tear,<br>Just want you to know that I'll be here._

_When you think you've lost it all,_

_When you think you're the deepest you can fall,_

_All you ever have to do is call._

_I'll be with you the whole way,_

_Every move you make, every step you take._

_I'll always be at your side,_

_Every day and every night._

_You won't ever be alone_

_You'll never be on your own._

_When it all becomes too hard,_

_When you know you're falling apart,_

_I'll help you heal your breaking heart._

_If your troubles weigh you down,_

_If you feel like you're gonna drown,_

_Just know I'll always be around._

_I'll be with you the whole way,_

_Every move you make, every step you take._

_I'll always be at your side,_

_Every day and every night._

_You won't ever be alone._

_You'll never be on your own._

_You don't have to be strong,_

_I can help you carry on,_

_I'm always gonna be there for you,_

_No matter what you say or do._

Logan put down the pen and put away the journal. Then got up and walked over to his closet, deciding he really did have to pick out what he was wearing to the movies.

Logan found he was over thinking, like usual, when, a half hour later, he had half his closet laid out on his bed.

"What am I going to wear?" he thought aloud. He was going out with James. He had to look perfect, or James might rethink his decision.

Logan finally settled on jeans, a white V-neck and a gray jacket. He put the rest of his clothes back in his closet and then went to take a shower.

When Logan stepped out of the shower, he grabbed a towel and walked back to his room. His phone rang and he picked it up.

"Hey, James," he said.

"Hey, Logan, is it alright if I push our date up a little? Coach called an emergency hockey practice tonight."

"Uh, sure. Like, what time?"

"Is two hours from now alright? Maybe we can grab lunch before we go."

"That sounds great. See you then."

"Bye, Logan. L-" James stopped. "L-later," he finished, hanging up his phone.

He'd just been about to say "Love you" to Logan. Where had that come from?

If James had had a normal family, he might've said it was just a reaction from talking on the phone. But he barely talked to his mother at all, much less on the phone. And even when he did, it was very rare that she would ever say she loved him, and the same was true for him. And after his parents had divorced, James didn't really keep in touch with his dad.

James sat down on the edge of the bed, leaning backward until he was lying atop the covers. He put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. It wasn't possible that he was in love with Logan, was it? He barely knew him.

But that wasn't true. James did know him.

James thought about how Logan always seemed to bite something when he was thinking. When it was during a test, Logan would always stick the end of his pencil between his teeth if he couldn't think of something. When he was just thinking, he chewed on his lip. James thought about how Logan was very quiet most of the time, but knew how to defend himself, at least verbally, if he had to. The scene with Kendall was an excellent example of that. James thought of Logan's beautiful brown eyes, and his cute smile, and the way his hair seemed to defy gravity.

James thought of how Logan was such a good person, always willing to help people when they had trouble with homework, or on a project. He thought about how Logan always listened to people, and actually paid attention, but never seemed to share much about himself. James thought of Logan when he'd first seen him, and realized he'd always loved Logan.

Which could be a slight complication if Logan didn't feel the same way.

James groaned into his pillow. Love was a foreign feeling to him, and Logan had somehow managed to make him fall in love before even speaking a word to him. James wasn't sure how he felt about it.

James spent the next hour and a half trying to distract himself with video games and T.V. and even trying to read a book. Finally, it was time for him to get going and he sprinted to his car, checking his hair in the mirror before pulling into the street and driving to Logan's house.

Logan answered the door when James knocked and smiled at him, locking the door behind him before following James to his car.

James drove to Steak 'n Shake, blushing a little.

"I know it's not really anything fancy, but, uh, the movie starts in, like, half an hour."

"James," Logan said, "it's fine. I'm on a date with you, we could've gone to a hot dog vendor and I'd be happy."

"I'll have to remember that," James said, smiling at Logan. Logan blushed this time, looking down.

Both of them ordered a steakburger with cheese, along with a side of fries to share. Logan got a vanilla shake and James got an Oreo.

"When's your next hockey game?" Logan asked. "Maybe I'll actually go this time." James grinned at the thought of Logan being in the crowd.

"Wednesday. I'd love for you to come." Logan smiled, plucking a few fries in his mouth.

The song playing caught James attention and he smiled, starting to sing along.

"Oh, this has gotta be the good life, this has gotta be the good life, this could really be the good life, good life. I said, 'Oh, got this feeling that you can't fight,' like this city is on fire tonight, this could really be a good life, a good life."

James stopped when he realized Logan was staring at him.

"Oh, sorry," he said, muttering.

"No, you're great! Are you going to be in the Talent Show this year?"

"Maybe. I don't-"

"James!" James paled when he heard the voice. He turned and saw Kendall walking in with some of the other team members. "What the hell are you doing with Mitchell?"

"His name is Logan," James muttered.

"Don't care," Kendall said. "Why are you here with him?" Kendall's jaw dropped. "Are you _dating_ him? Is that why you've been telling me to back off?"

"No!" James said. "He's my tutor, for math. I need his help and how's he supposed to help me if he gets beaten to a pulp?"

Logan's shake slipped from his grasp and collided with the floor, exploding and spraying all over Kendall's legs.

"Oh, great!" Kendall snapped. "Butterfingers got me covered in vanilla!"

"Sorry," Logan breathed, looking away from the rest of them. James shot him a glance but Logan didn't see.

"Whatever," Kendall said. "See you later, James, the rest of us care about our spots on the hockey team."

"I care about my spot. That's why I have a tutor."

James watched Logan's shoulders shake slightly and noticed that Logan's hand had moved to cover his eyes.

Kendall and the other hockey players left, shakes in hand and James turned to Logan, opening his mouth to apologize. But Logan was already talking.

"You _tutor!_" he said. "Are you that obsessed with your image, James? You can't let people know you're gay? Well then, if I'm your tutor, let me teach you something- I don't like being a secret. It's not a good feeling."

"Logan-"

"Forget it. I'll see you Monday."

James watched Logan walk away, pulling out his phone (probably to call and ask someone for a ride), and slammed his fist against the table.

"Idiot," he muttered.

**Alright, just so you guys know, I don't own anything. I might be using some stuff from other T.V. shows later, but I don't own any of it. Oh, and that song, that's mine. I wrote it, I didn't copy it. Hope you guys liked it. I do enjoy reviews, just in case you didn't know.**


	4. Chapter 4

Logan was leaning against the outer wall of Steak 'n Shake when Camille drove up. He slid into the car and smiled at her.

"Thanks, Camille," he said. Camille was his best friend, had been ever since she sat on him in preschool and made him eat dirt.

"Anytime, Logan. What's the matter?" Logan looked away, trying to stop crying.

"Nothing," he said, his voice breaking.

"Logan, I'm not going anywhere until you tell me." Logan sighed, crying a little.

"Do you remember my crush on James?"

"Yeah, and I still think you're crazy. He's a jerk."

"You're not kidding," Logan said, sniffing.

"What happened, Logan?"

"Well, I finally went out on a date with him and it was terrible! It started out alright, I guess, but then Kendall _fucking_ Knight walks in and James starts pretending I'm just his tutor, it was awful."

"I'm so sorry," Camille said, rubbing his arm. "I've had my fair share of bad dates, and they're just the worst."

"You have?" Logan asked.

"Yeah, like once, this guy kept forgetting my name and staring at my breasts the entire time. Another one tried to have sex with me the minute we got to his car. And once, a guy grabbed my ass in the middle of a restaurant so hard I squealed."

"You're kidding!" Logan said, laughing a little.

"Not at all. Guys are the worst." Camille looked over and blushed. "Sorry, most guys."

"Nice save," Logan laughed. Camille pulled up to his house. "Hey, you wanna come inside? Mom wouldn't mind."

"Sure thing." Camille parked the car and walked inside.

"Hey, Mom, I'm home! Camille's here!" Logan called as he walked in. Mrs. Mitchell was at the table with a pile of papers in front of her.

"Where's James?" she asked, looking up and over her glasses.

"He's, uh…he had to go to hockey practice earlier than expected."

"So he didn't give you a ride home?"

"He offered but I told him it was unnecessary."

"Ok, then. I'll be leaving soon, I have to stop by the office."

"Okay. Is it alright if Camille stays for dinner."

"You know you're always welcome Camille."

"Thanks, Mrs. Mitchell. Hey, Logan, are you ready to have your ass handed to you COD style?"

"You're on." Logan followed Camille into the basement and plopped onto one of the two beanbags in front of the plasma screen. He turned on his Xbox and grabbed a controller.

Camille set the game on pause as soon as it began.

"Why didn't you tell your mom the truth?"

"She doesn't need to know. It would just upset her- my first date gone wrong." Camille groaned.

"Sometimes I forget just how socially awkward you are."

"Sweet of you," Logan grinned.

"I'm guessing that's not the only reason, though."

"What do you mean?"

"You're hoping it'll work out with James. You don't want your mom to be mad at him when it does, so you just won't tell her that you're off to a rough start."

"If that was true, then our first date would not be the thing I'd be trying to hide from her. It'd probably be the years of torture."

"Whatever. And you know it's true, you still like James even if you don't like what he did."

"Shut up and play."

"Uh-huh," Camille said, turning the game back on.

Logan and Camille played for an hour and then went upstairs for dinner. Mrs. Mitchell had left so Logan went over to the stove.

"How about spaghetti?" he asked Camille, glancing over to her. She fell onto the couch and pulled out her phone.

"Are you kidding? Pizza!" Logan set the pot back down and walked over to her, shoving her legs over and sitting by her.

"Cheese," he said, turning on the T.V.

"Uh, try Hawaiian," Camille said, dialing Papa John's number. Logan rolled his eyes, scrolling through the channels while Camille spoke on the phone.

Logan stopped on Grey's Anatomy, smiling. Doctor shows were his favorite. They reminded him of his dad, without forcing him into a flashback, and he wanted to become a doctor. To be just like his father.

Halfway through the show, the bell rang.

"I'll get it," Logan said, hopping up and pulling a couple of bills out of his wallet. He opened the door and smiled at the boy standing there.

His smile froze and he stilled, his hand tightening around the doorknob.

"What do you want, James?" he asked.

"Logan, I had to apologize for earlier." Camille appeared at Logan's side.

"What do you want, Diamond?" She glared at James.

"I'm here to talk to Logan. Camille, right?"

"Yeah."

"I thought I recognized you from last year's play. You were the lead right."

"Possibly. What's it to you?"

"It's just that I've always wanted to be an actor, and you were great in that. But, not the point. Logan, I'm a jerk, and I'm sorry. It's just, whenever Kendall's around, I start worrying about stupid stuff. I'll be the first to admit that I'm obsessed with how people see me, and that's not fair to you. I'd really like to make it up to you, just give me one more chance. Please, Logan?"

"James, aren't you supposed to be at hockey practice?"

"That's not important."

"But don't you get suspended from the team if you miss practice, or something?"

"It's not important, Logan. Nothing's as important to me as you are."

Despite herself, Camille couldn't help but let out a small "Aww" when James said that. Logan nudged her, shooting her a glance and she put her acting mask on, becoming cold ad unfriendly again.

"James, tell me one reason I should give you another chance."

James took a deep breath and reached for Logan's hand. Logan snatched it away and James looked into Logan's eyes.

"Because I love you, Logan Mitchell."

And with that, he stepped forward and drew Logan into a kiss. His arms wrapped around Logan's small figure and Logan threw his arms around James's neck. When he pulled away, Logan was smiling.

"That's a very good reason," he said. There was a small knock behind them and James turned around to see the pizza man at the door.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said, "but, uh, your, uh… you know."

"It's fine," James said. "Nothing could spoil the moment." He pulled money from his own wallet and handed it to the guy. The man's eyebrows shot up as he stared at the hundred-dollar bill.

"Thanks, dude," he said.

"I'm in a good mood." James smiled again as he closed the door. He carried the pizza over to the table and opened the box.

"Hawaiian! My favorite!"

As Logan and Camille walked over to him, Camille whispered in Logan's ear, "I approve."


	5. Chapter 5

Logan pulled down three plates from his cupboard and passed them out. James and Camille piled pizza on their plates while Logan took two pieces, peeling the pineapple off as he sat down to watch Grey's Anatomy.

James sat next to Logan and Logan curled into him, balancing his plate on his legs. James held him close, frowning slightly at the T.V.

"Grey's Anatomy?" he asked.

"It's my favorite show," Logan said defensively.

"I can't stand the sight of blood," James said, looking away from the bloody mess that was a patient on the operating table. "Why do you like it so much?"

"I want to be a doctor. Like my dad." Camille went silent, but James was clueless.

"Your dad? Where is he? Did he skip town?" Logan pulled away quickly.

"No!"

"Oh. I'm sorry. What happened to him?" Logan shook his head, getting up and walking over to the sink, setting his plate down and putting his head in his hands.

Camille scooted closer to James, whispering in his ear. "Logan's dad died. Some stupid drunk driver killed him."

James's eyes widened, shoving his plate away, walking over to Logan. He wrapped his arms around him, resting his chin on Logan's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Logan. I didn't mean to insult your dad, I honestly didn't know." Logan sniffled. James took a deep breath. "My dad skipped town."

"What?" Logan said, turning around. He pressed his face into James's chest and pulled him closer. James's cheek rested against Logan's hair. "Is that true?"

"Yeah. When I was younger, everything seemed fine, like we had the perfect family. Then, one day, he just left, and the only thing he left behind were the papers for a divorce, which he'd already signed. The only time I've heard from him at all was two years ago when he sent a Christmas card of him and some younger girl with a baby."

"Oh, James, that's terrible."

"Yeah. My mom never really got over it. She threw herself into her work and hasn't come out since."

"James, I'm sorry."

"I bet you could make it better."

"Really? How?"

"Kiss me." Logan nodded and stood on his toes, pressing his lips into James.

"What do you want to be?" Logan asked.

"Why?"

"You know what I'd like to be. I want to know what your dream job is. Are you gonna be a big hockey star? Or a basketball star? Wait, you're gonna do both, aren't you?" James laughed, pulling Logan back to the couch.

"Uh, no. I'd like to be a singer, or an actor, maybe."

"Have you done theatre?"

"No."

"Are you in choir?"

"No." Logan turned and looked at James.

"Well then how do you plan on doing anything?" James laughed again.

"Getting lucky. It's a natural talent of mine."

"James, you're going to have to do something. You can't just sit back and hope for the best. If you want to be a singer then go sing in the streets until someone hears you. If you want to be an actor, then try out for a play or a musical. You have to _do_ something."

"Alright, alright. Calm down, I'll go sing in the streets right now." James made as if to get up and Logan grabbed his waist, pulling him back.

"Har har. You're staying here tonight."

"Really?"

"Only if you'd like to continue to go out with me." Logan watched Camille flip through channels, making a noise of protest when she went past an episode of Friends.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked. "Friends?"

"This just happens to be one of my favorite shows."

"It's so old!"

"It's so good!" Camille rolled her eyes and went back, just in time to hear Joey make himself sound stupid. Despite herself, she cracked a smile.

It turned out to be a marathon. Logan started drifting off when Camille's phone rang. She snatched it up and groaned, hanging up abruptly.

"Gotta go. The momster calls." Camille's adoptive mother was less than enthusiastic about having a child who acted out so much. Logan was the only one who knew it was a secret plea for attention, not something Camille did just for fun. Like when she crashed into the police car, or when she spray painted rather foul words on the school wall and signed it, or when she kicked in their neighbor's door and took a vase, of all things.

"See you tomorrow, Camille?" he asked.

"No, I'm working off Ms. Matton's door," she said. Logan frowned slightly when her eyes betrayed the sadness hidden behind a smile. A smile she'd had plastered to her face since second grade, when her "mom" had a child of her own and Camille got shoved to the side. It was a smile she practiced in front of the mirror. It was a smile she was afraid of letting slip, afraid to let people see how much she was hurting. Afraid to push them away.

And Logan was afraid that she wouldn't ever let it slip, wouldn't ever let anyone get close to her. Because the one person who'd ever gotten close to her was starting to slip from her grasp, slowly but surely. Because that one person was him, and he knew that if he let himself get wrapped up in James, Camille would be getting shoved to side again, and he knew she couldn't stand it for a second time.

"Camille?" he said, right before she left. She turned towards him as he detached himself from James. He went over and hugged her.

"What are you doing, Logan?" she asked.

"Camille, you've always got me. No matter what, alright?"

"Did we fall into an after school special without me knowing?" she said, turning to go. She put her hand on the doorjamb and turned slightly.

"Thanks, Logan. That means a lot to me." Logan smiled at her again before she left, then walked back over to James and lying back into his arms again.

He wished he could stay there forever.


End file.
